Tag: PTI government

  • Islamabad High Court requested to bar Imran from saying ‘Naya Pakistan’

    Islamabad High Court requested to bar Imran from saying ‘Naya Pakistan’

    A petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a ban on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s use of the term “Naya [new]” with Pakistan.

    “The word ‘Pakistan’ and the flag of Pakistan are protected by the constitution and any alteration to them is a clear violation of the same”, petitioner Tariq Asad, who is a lawyer of the Supreme Court (SC), has said seeking ban on what has become a trademark of the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Members of the PTI, including Imran Khan, had widely used the term “Naya Pakistan” while seeking votes ahead of the 2013 and 2018 general elections, highlighting the party’s aim to revamp the system if handed reins of the country.

    According to Gulf News, the petitioner has maintained that the PM has frequently been referring to “Riasate Madina [State of Madina]” while sharing his vision of a welfare state that again is without context and in contrast to the unique history of Pakistan.

    Justice Amir Farooq of the IHC, in this regard, has issued notices and sought a reply from the respondents, including the Law Ministry secretary, principal secretary to the PM, information secretary and the chairperson of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

    Asad has maintained that PM Imran has disgraced the national integrity giving Pakistan a nickname as “Naya Pakistan”.

    “Imran Khan having altered and distorted the name of Pakistan as ‘Naya Pakistan’ is inter alia violation of Article 1 and Article 5 of the constitution and fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan guaranteed by Article 14 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973,” said the petitioner.

    The premier, as per the petition, has also made an insignia i.e. of a flag of Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority which is different from the national flag of Pakistan.

    The petitioner maintains that the new insignia of the Naya Pakistan Housing & Development Authority comprises green and red colours and there is no white colour that is a representation of minorities. Speaking to Gulf News, Advocate Asad said that by omitting the white colour from the housing authority’s insignia, the government authorities had implied the scheme was not meant for the non-Muslims.

    In his prayer, the petitioner has requested the court to restrain the government functionaries, including the members of parliament and cabinet as well as the PTI workers and opposition parties, from patching and using the word “Naya“ with Pakistan or calling this state “Naya Pakistan”.

    The court has also been requested to issue orders to PEMRA to restrain television channels from airing the said word with Pakistan.

  • After hundreds of train accidents, casualties in two years, PM says ‘role of railways crucial for Naya Pakistan’

    After nearly 200 major and minor train accidents that have caused hundreds of casualties since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took reins of the country in 2018, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the role of Pakistan Railways is “crucial” in the journey to Naya Pakistan.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the Hassan Abdal Railway Station in Attock, the premier underlined that across the world, trains were a cheap and comfortable way to travel.

    “Railways are important because it’s a commute for the poor and common people of Pakistan,” he said.

    “Unfortunately, we did not develop the railway system provided by the British,” PM Imran said, adding that for the first time, the largest investment to Pakistan Railways was coming through the ML-1.

    ML-1 or Main Line 1 is one of the four main railway lines in Pakistan. The Karachi-Peshawar Railway Line begins from Karachi City station or Kiamari Station and ends at Peshawar Cantonment Station. The total length of this line is 1,687 kilometers with 184 railway stations.

    The line serves as the main passenger and freight line of the country as it is used by 75% of both sorts of rail traffic. It is currently undergoing a six-year Rs886.68 billion upgrade and renovation as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with average rail speeds expected to be doubled to 160 kilometers per hour upon completion.

    The premier said the journey from Karachi to Lahore through ML-1 would come down to seven hours, and the project “will be an important step towards self-reliance”.

    Railways would play an important role in Pakistan’s economic development, he remarked.

    RAILWAYS SINCE 2018:

    While the premier has highlighted the significance of railways for the materialisation of his dream of a new Pakistan, it merits a mention that a significant spike in train accidents over the past two years has further marred the department’s safety record.

    According to Dawn, over 100 train-related incidents, including some fatal accidents took place in 2019 besides 111 incidents of engine failure within the first five months of the year alone.

    These come on top of minor derailment incidents at least one of which is reported every week with the last reported three weeks ago near Ghotki in Sindh.

    Here’s a list of major untoward incidents involving trains since 2018…

    September 16, 2018:

    Nine bogies of the Peshawar-bound Khushal Khan Khattak Express from Karachi derailed near Attock. 20 passengers were injured.

    September 27, 2018:

    Another Peshawar-bound train derailed in which 11 bogies overturned in Sehwan, Sindh.

    December 18, 2018:

    At least 12 children were injured as a passenger train crashed into a school van near Narowal in Punjab. Local witnesses said the accident happened due to dense fog and because the gate at the crossing was left open.

    June 9, 2019:

    As many as 23 bogies of a Karachi-bound freight train derailed in Sukkur.

    June 20, 2019:

    Three people were killed when a passenger train collided with a stationary cargo train in Makli Shah near Hyderabad.

    July 11, 2019:

    A Quetta-bound train collided with a cargo train near Sadiqabad in Punjab, killing 24 people and injuring over 100 others. The accident was later found to be caused by a delay in switching the train tracks.

    October 31, 2019:

    Fire engulfed a train near Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, killing 65 people. The cause of the incident was discovered to be a gas explosion. A canister had been carried by passengers to cook on the train amid the authorities’ failure to keep a check on the travellers’ luggage.

    February 28, 2020:

    At least 19 people were killed when a train collided with a passenger bus near Sindh’s Rohri.

    July 3, 2020:

    At least 20 people died and ten others were injured when Shah Hussain Express collided with a bus near Sachcha Sauda Railway Station in Sheikhupura. Most victims were members of the Pakistani Sikh community.

  • Justice Isa reference: SC judge for criminal proceedings against Shahzad Akbar, others

    Justice Isa reference: SC judge for criminal proceedings against Shahzad Akbar, others

    The federal government tried to remove Supreme Court judge Qazi Faez Isa through illegal means, said a dissenting note in a case pertaining to “mala fide” presidential reference against the top judge.

    In a dissenting note, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah questioned the intent of the government behind filing the reference and its methods to locate the properties owned by Justice Isa’s family, as he sought criminal cases against the government officials.

    He questioned: “Are we governed by the constitution and the rule of law or can the government of the day conveniently get off the constitutional rails to suit its ends and come prying into the private lives of its citizens in disregard of their constitutional rights?”

    The judge said the complainant could only have approached the constitutional forums provided under Article 209(5), adding that the very act of approaching the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) was per se unconstitutional and illegal.

    “It is noted with concern and suspicion that how did the complainant, a citizen of this country, plan on filing the complaint against a constitutional court judge before the ARU, which had no public
    interface or the legal mandate…”

    Instead of approaching the forum concerned, the complainant’s decision to move the ARU against the judge “raises eyebrows about the credibility of the complaint”. “It is no rocket science to put the facts together to discern that the complainant was fed the information to generate the complaint,” the note commented on the complainant being a “journalist”.

    “The establishment of the ARU was, therefore, absolutely without lawful authority, and is hereby so declared. In the absence of any legal status of the ARU, its Chairman and Members also have no legal position or status,” the judge wrote.

    The judge said that the ARU chairman and legal expert “procured the information regarding the UK properties by offending the fundamental rights…without the sanction of any law”, going on to call these actions criminal.

    For indulging in unlawful practices to gather data on the SC judge, the dissenting note said that the authorities concerned “must initiate criminal and disciplinary proceedings against the ARU chairman, legal expert and [its] members, as well as, the defaulting officials of FBR [Federal Board of Revenue] and NADRA [National Database and Regulatory Authority] under the IFTA, ITO and NADRA Ordinance, 2000”.

    ‘MALICE AND ILL-WILL AGAINST JUDGE’

    Justice Maqbool Baqir also penned a dissenting note, wherein he said that the “respondents have violated all of the above and carried covert surveillance of the petitioner and his family without any rhyme or reason, wholly illegally”.

    Criticising the presidential reference sent to the SJC, he said: “Had the president applied his mind
    independently, he would have readily and surely appreciated that reliance of the chairman ARU, the law minister and the prime minister, on a purported report obtained by the chairman ARU was
    wholly unconstitutional, unlawful, illegal, inappropriate, misconceived and mala fide.”

    “The reference springs from actual malice and ill-will harboured against the petitioner by the concerned state functionaries on account of the Faizabad dharna judgment and a common desire to ensure his absence from the review thereof,” the judge wrote.

    JUSTICE ISA CASE:

    In June this year, the SC dismissed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and referred the matter to the FBR for further probe.

    Justice Qazi Faez Isa is an SC justice who took oath as a judge of the top court in September 2014. He is scheduled to become the chief justice in August 2023 for thirteen months.

    His landmark cases include the Faizabad Sit-in judgment in 2019, the Quetta Massacre Commission in 2016 — when he headed an inquiry commission to find out what happened when a suicide attack in August 2016 killed 74 people — and the Memogate Commission in 2012, a case where an alleged memo was delivered to an American official at the behest of former ambassador to the United States (US), Husain Haqqani, in May 2012.

    In May 2019, media started reporting that references were being filed against SC judges Reports became so rampant that Justice Isa approached President Arif Alvi, complaining that information being leaked to the media amounted to character assassination, which would hinder his right to a fair trial. He also asked the president if a reference was being filed against him by the president in the SJC.

    There was no reply by the president and soon, a notice was sent to the federal government by the SJC that a reference was being filed against him and another judge, accusing them of concealing assets.

    Justice Isa then wrote another letter, in which he said that he could’ve handled the inquiry against him and his family but it seemed that the independence of the judiciary was being undermined and that a judge had to preserve and protect the constitution as he had sworn to do.

    He then asked the SC that a full bench be constituted, a plea that was accepted by then CJP Asif Saeed Khosa, and after a months-long trial, a full bench of the apex court on Friday dismissed the petition against him.

  • Lawyer, allegedly a PML-N supporter, submits application for treason case against Fawad Chaudhry

    Lawyer, allegedly a PML-N supporter, submits application for treason case against Fawad Chaudhry

    A lawyer, who is allegedly a supporter of opposition’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has submitted an application seeking the registration of a treason case against Federal Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry over the latter’s Pulwama remarks from last week.

    According to reports, the application has been submitted to Civil Lines police station in Lahore by Advocate Rohail Asghar, a picture of whom with PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has now gone viral over the internet.

    Fawad had in a faux pas on the floor of the National Assembly last week mentioned 2019’s Pulwama attack in held Kashmir, which had killed 40 paramilitary troops and brought the two countries to the brink of war.

    Speaking of Pakistan’s swift response to its air space being violated by India following the said terrorist attack, Fawad had mistakenly named Pulwama, drawing strong reactions.

    READ: ‘Pulwama attack’: Fawad says Indian media twisted his words to malign Pakistan

    While Pakistanis had called out the minister for carelessly making the statement that he went on to clarify later on, Indians, including Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and several journalists, had added fuel to fire by extensively reporting it.

    In a formal statement, the minister had said that the Indian media “acted with gross irresponsibility by misrepresenting the context of the speech” he delivered during a session of the National Assembly.

    Wednesday’s development comes as a series of treason cases between members of the government and opposition continues.

    READ: ‘Abhinandan’s release’: Banners calling Ayaz Sadiq ‘traitor’ surface in Lahore

    Last week, former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq had landed in hot water for his remarks regarding Abhinandan’s release by Pakistan soon after he was captured.

    The controversy surrounding his statements had led to the military also clarifying the situation, which was followed by the government announcing how the parliamentarian could face legal action.

  • PM Imran’s love for wife Bushra, who has ‘great wisdom’, melts hearts

    PM Imran’s love for wife Bushra, who has ‘great wisdom’, melts hearts

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said he could not have survived without his wife Bushra Bibi who is his soulmate and has great wisdom.

    “I discuss everything with her… the problems I face in the government and dealing with complex situations,” the premier said while speaking to German magazine Der Spiegel.

    “Only a fool doesn’t talk about everything with his wife,” he said.

    It, however, wasn’t the first time PM Imran praised his wife for her wisdom. Upon the completion of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s first 100 days, he had credited her for handling “such a difficult life” with grace.

    In an earlier interview, the premier had said that he plans to stay with his wife Bushra Bibi till last breath. Commenting on his marital life, he had acknowledged his wife to be a blessing from Allah.

    INTERVIEW TO DER SPIEGEL:

    On Friday, the premier also expressed concern over India’s antics in occupied Kashmir and warned that the region was a hotspot that could “flare up at any time”.

    He urged the United States (US) to treat it in an “evenhanded” manner, saying that Washington was under impression that India could limit China’s influence in the region. “But it is a completely flawed premise.”

    “India is a threat to its neighbours… to China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and to us,” he said and added the extremist government in New Delhi was inspired by the fascist Nazi state from the 20th century.

    In the wide-ranging interview, the premier also spoke of the US presidential election, Afghan peace process, regional and global stability, Islamabad’s ties with Beijing, Pakistan’s COVID-19 response, economic challenges facing the country and the new law prohibiting media to report on the military.

  • Govt for legal action against PML-N leader ‘for weakening state’

    Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz has hinted at legal action against former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq for accusing the government of releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of the Indian Air Force (IAF) under pressure, fearing Indian attack.

    “What Ayaz Sadiq said is not forgivable,” he tweeted, adding that law will take its course now.

    Faraz asserted that “weakening the state” was an “unpardonable offense”, and promised that Sadiq and his followers will be punished for it.

    The statement by the government’s premier spokesperson comes a day after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar set the record straight about the events surrounding February 27 — the day Pakistan downed two IAF planes and captured Abhinandan.

    “Yesterday such a statement was given in which facts were attempted to be twisted surrounding the events that day,” the military spokesperson said during a media briefing that had come a day after Sadiq among other senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarians accused the government of taking the decision to release the pilot under pressure.

    READ: Army breaks silence after PML-N leader accuses govt of releasing Abhinandan fearing Indian attack

    Earlier, Sadiq had said that FM Qureshi “was present in the meeting, which Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had refused to attend”.

    “India never attacked Pakistan but the government nonetheless handed over Abhinandan to the Indian authorities,” he had said, adding that it was the PTI government and not the opposition that had passed an ordinance to “facilitate” Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    Reacting to his claims, the FM regretted how “responsible people were making irresponsible statements”.

    He said he had not expected the former NA speaker to say Pakistan let go Abhinandan under pressure and that his comments were “contrary to the truth”.

    Qureshi explained that in the meeting, the government had taken all parliamentary leaders into confidence regarding the intelligence reports it had received but made no mention of the captured Indian pilot. “Highly irresponsible statements are being issued for political gains,” he lamented while also slamming the opposition for its stance on Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    “These people are misleading the nation on the issues of Kulbhushan and Abhinandan,” he had maintained.

    Ahead of the military’s version, Sadiq had also questioned PM Imran’s motives behind delaying a meeting related to Abhinandan on the day of his capture.

    He lambasted the Indian media for “distorting” his comments from the National Assembly session a day earlier when he had alleged that the government took the decision to release the IAF pilot under pressure.

    “One thing is clear: Abhinandan did not come to Pakistan to distribute sweets; he had attacked Pakistan,” the PML-N leader said.

  • Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ‘approached with offer to form government’

    Former prime minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has claimed that during his time in jail over corruption allegations, he was approached with an offer to form a government.

    “I told the messengers to go and talk to party supreme leader Nawaz Sharif instead,” the former premier said while speaking to The News.

    Avoiding naming the messenger, Abbasi added that both Nawaz and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) would not be willing to be part of any dialogue leading to the setting up of what he termed “another hybrid government”.

    He reiterated his stance for an inter-institution dialogue for the sake of a better future for Pakistan, and added that Nawaz would be ready to be part of a meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.

    Abbasi said that Nawaz Sharif’s recent speeches were not meant to humiliate anyone but to identify the problems and fix them for the sake of a brighter future and in the interest of the people of Pakistan.

    To a question, he said that it was his personal view that an inter-institution dialogue was the only way forward for the country.

    When asked if Nawaz would agree to such an idea, he responded in the affirmative and said that the PML-N supremo had no personal agenda or grudge with anyone but wanted to address the fundamental wrongs of the system, which could only be corrected through a meaningful dialogue process.

    He said that the purpose of the opposition’s current public mobilisation campaigns was to pave the way for a meaningful dialogue process.

    He explained that neither Nawaz nor the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is against institutions; instead, they only refer to the mistakes of certain individuals holding responsible positions.

    READ: Ex-PM Abbasi speaks about meeting on economy with Gen Bajwa

    Once again referring to Nawaz’s recent speeches, he said that although the PML-N supremo had named the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chiefs, the purpose was not to humiliate them but to point out what went wrong.

    He said that all the stakeholders should sit together for the greater good of the masses instead of focusing on personal issues and grudges.

    Regarding the PML-N’s contacts with the establishment, he said that politicians and the establishment have always maintained contacts but after the recent episodes, where such contacts were revealed in a scandalous manner, the trust level for such interactions was dashed. At times, these contacts are made in the best national interest, he said, but the manner in which such meetings were recently portrayed, has compelled the PML-N to stop such interactions.

    Abbasi maintained that currently there was no contact between the PML-N and the establishment and such contacts could not be restored before the revival of trust between the two sides.

  • PTI govt to auction gifts, including golden gun, Rs1.7 crores watch, Rs1.4 crores diamond set

    PTI govt to auction gifts, including golden gun, Rs1.7 crores watch, Rs1.4 crores diamond set

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is set to auction various items from the Toshakhana of the Cabinet Division.

    Toshakhana is a word of Persian origin that literally translates into “treasure-house”. In Mughal ruled India, Toshakhana was a place where princes stored gifts and emblems of honour that they received for their posterity, whereas in modern times, it is where gifts received from foreign dignitaries or countries are kept.

    The items being auctioned by the government range from an L.U. Chopard watch worth Rs17.5 million (Rs1 crore and 75 lacs) and a Rolex watch worth Rs3.5 million (35 lacs) to a Rs600,000 gold-coloured gun.

    A diamond set worth Rs14.827 million, which includes a necklace costing Rs8.3 million (83 lacs), earrings worth Rs966,900, a Rs382,300 ring and a Rs5.17 million (5.1 lacs) bangle, is also being auctioned.

    The items will be available only for the officers of the federal government and armed forces to bid on when the auction starts on November 4, a Cabinet Division notification said.

    TOSHAKHANA REFERENCE:

    Meanwhile, a corruption case involving the Toshakhana is also ongoing.

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accused former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif of getting cars from ex-PM Yousaf Raza Gillani in an illegal way.

    While an accountability court has ordered to seize properties and assets, including cars and bank accounts, of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in the said case, NAB says Zardari only paid 15 per cent cost of the said cars and that too through fake accounts.

    “Libya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also gifted him [Zardari] cars when he was serving as the president,” a NAB prosecutor told the court last month, claiming that Zardari kept these cars for personal use instead of submitting them to the Toshakhana, which is must as per law.

  • Shaan says PTI is the ‘last hope’ for Pakistan

    Shaan says PTI is the ‘last hope’ for Pakistan

    Shaan has once again reiterated his support for Prime Minister Imran Khan and his vision of Naya Pakistan.

    Read more – Shaan asks ‘born-again politician’ Jawad Ahmad to support PM Khan

    In a recent interview with Arab News, Shaan said that though he is not from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) or any other political party, he believes that Pakistan needs to give the PTI government, which came to power in 2018, more time to govern.

    “The race is not yet finished,” said the actor. “Give him [PM Imran] enough time to prove himself.”

    He continued: “As a Pakistani I feel that this [PTI government] is the last hope for democracy in the country.”

    Meanwhile, while talking about his criticism on the state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) for airing Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Shaan said that while the show was good, programmers at PTV need to “wake up and do their jobs”.

    “You can’t control the content of private channels. They will make what they think is right,” said Shaan. “But… you’ve got a channel that’s beyond satellite and that’s PTV.”

    “If PTV was producing what the Prime Minister thinks should be produced…I want to see that content,” added the actor. “I don’t know who’s doing the programming in PTV, but whoever it is needs to wake up and do his job.”

    Sharing his thoughts on vulgarity and content censorship, the actor said: “Nobody can define what vulgarity is… but there should be a line that none should cross.”

  • ‘Vijay Mallya sent back’: Fawad’s blunder on Nawaz’s extradition called out on air

    ‘Vijay Mallya sent back’: Fawad’s blunder on Nawaz’s extradition called out on air

    A blunder by Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry was called out by the host of the show he had appeared on to talk about the extradition of deposed prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, who was last year allowed by the government to travel abroad to seek medical treatment despite his conviction in corruption cases.

    As per the details, Fawad, who was speaking to journalist Shahzad Iqbal during the latter’s show on Geo News, was asked if the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was hopeful that its efforts to get Nawaz extradited would bear fruit.

    “India is a prominent power with influence and you agree. But we have the example of Indian businessman Vijay Mallya who is accused of corruption worth Rs90 billion and has been convicted in the contempt case against him. They [Indian authorities] have time and again been requesting the British authorities to extradite Vijay Mallya but to no avail,” Iqbal said.

    Indian businessman and former lawmaker Mallya is the subject of an extradition effort by New Delhi to bring him back from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India. Mallya is a former owner of the Royal Challengers Bangalore cricket team. He is also one of the four prominent business magnates of India on the lives of which the 2020 Netflix original documentary web-series “Bad Boy Billionaires” focuses.

    Citing another example, the journalist spoke of former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, who too was allowed to seek treatment abroad despite his conviction in a grenade attack case from 2004 on top of financial crimes accusations, and was never sent back by the UK regardless of Bangladeshi authorities’ requests.

    “You are absolutely right but Vijay Mallya was recently extradited. What you are saying is right and that was why I was against permitting Nawaz to travel abroad,” Fawad said in response to Iqbal who appeared shocked over the minister’s ill-informed claim regarding the Indian businessman’s extradition.

    “I haven’t read anything about Vijay Mallya’s extradition. The case is in the Supreme Court. Who told you this?” the journalist asked.

    Attempting to brush it off, Fawad said he had read “something somewhere” and thought Mallya had been extradited, and told the journalist to take a look, over which Iqbal requested the minister to share the source with him. “I will also read it because as far as I know, Vijay Mallya has not yet been extradited.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The minister’s err moment was followed by both Iqbal and Fawad telling each other to “Google it”.

    Here’s what The Current discovered when we Googled it:

    “The Indian government has been informed that there is a ‘confidential legal matter’ without whose resolution the extradition of embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya is not possible to India from Britain, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, adding that India is not a party to that matter. The MEA also said that Mallya’s avenues for appeal against extradition have already been exhausted and that India is in touch with Britain on the issue of his extradition to India,” reads an early October report by the Deccan Chronicle.

    The same has been reported by multiple Indian media organisations, including dailies such as the Hindustan Times and The Hindu.